Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 55

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca .
prajahāti yadā kāmānsarvānpārtha manogatān .
ātmanyevātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthitaprajñastadocyate ॥

Meaning

The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a person completely casts off all the desires that arise in the mind, and is content in the Self by the Self alone, then he is called one of steady wisdom.

Word meanings

श्रीभगवान् उवाच – the Blessed Lord said
प्रजहाति – completely abandons
यदा – when
कामान् – desires
सर्वान् – all
पार्थ – O son of Pritha (Arjuna)
मनोगतान् – arising in, lodged in the mind
आत्मनि – in the Self
एव – alone, indeed
आत्मना – by the Self, by oneself
तुष्टः – content, satisfied
स्थितप्रज्ञः – one of steady wisdom
तदा – then
उच्यते – is said to be

Anvaya (word order)

श्रीभगवान् उवाच — पार्थ, यदा (पुरुषः) मनोगतान् सर्वान् कामान् प्रजहाति, आत्मना आत्मनि एव तुष्टः (भवति), तदा (सः) स्थितप्रज्ञः उच्यते ।

Explanation

Krishna begins His answer with the most fundamental mark of all. The first and deepest sign of the man of steady wisdom is ‘prajahati yada kaman sarvan’ — he gives up all desires completely. The prefix ‘pra’ matters: this is not a half-hearted renunciation but a giving up root and all. And ‘sarvan’ means all desires — not only the base ones, but even subtle longings such as the wish for heaven.

Notice the word ‘manogatan’, desires that have ‘come into’ the mind. Desires are visitors to the mind; they are not the nature of the Self. Just as clouds come and go in the sky without binding the sky, desires are passing waves in the mind. This is a hopeful teaching: what has come from outside can be let go. If desire were our very nature, renouncing it would be impossible.

Yet after renunciation one is not left empty. The second half of the verse says, ‘atmany evatmana tushtah’ — he is content in the Self, by the Self. This is the secret of the verse. The ordinary person's happiness depends on outside objects, people and circumstances, so he is always asking for more. The man of steady wisdom has found the source of joy within, so he no longer needs to beg from the world. Desires are not torn from him by force; once fullness is found, they fall away by themselves, as ripe fruit drops naturally from the tree.

Shankara explains that once one has tasted the nectar of the Self's bliss, all external things appear trifling; one who has this direct experience of the Self is the sthitaprajna. He adds that ‘atmana’ means by one's own purified inner being, not through any external means. Ramanuja says that one who is satisfied by the joy born of knowing the true nature of the Self relinquishes desire for sense objects, and that this is the first stage of steadfastness in knowledge.

It should be remembered that the Gita teaches the renunciation of desire, not of action. The sthitaprajna acts and lives in the world, but his actions spring not from the hunger of ‘let me get this’ but from fullness and love.

In our consumer age this verse carries a revolutionary message. We are taught that happiness lies in the next purchase or the next achievement. The Gita says the true source of happiness is within you. The more contented we become inwardly, the steadier our intellect and the clearer our decisions.

Context

In 2.54 Arjuna asked about the marks and conduct of the man of steady wisdom. This verse opens Krishna's reply and directly answers ‘ka bhasha’ — the definition. In the next verse (2.56) Krishna describes how such a person remains in pleasure and pain, traditionally taken as the answer to ‘how does he speak’.

Life lesson

True contentment comes not from accumulating things but from inner fullness. Spend some time each day sitting quietly within; as inner joy grows, outer craving diminishes by itself.

Key terms

Kama: desire, craving for sense objects
Manogata: arisen in the mind — not the nature of the Self
Atma-tushti: contentment in the Self, joy independent of external things
Sthitaprajna: one whose wisdom is unshaken in the Self